Measures scheduled for public hearings and adoption Dec. 8.
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
Hopewell Township is moving toward designating five township properties as historic landmarks.
Five enabling ordinances to that effect were introduced by a 4-0 Township Committee vote Monday night. Voting in favor of the measures were Mayor Vanessa Sandom, Deputy Mayor John Murphy and Committeemen Jim Burd and Michael Markulec. David Sandahl was not present.
The measures are scheduled for public hearing and adoption votes Dec. 8. In the interim, the Planning Board will review the measures. State law requires such review for all proposed ordinances that pertain to land use. All five measures have been recommended for adoption by the township’s Historic Preservation Commission.
The five properties covered by the proposed ordinances are:
—The Harbourton Blacksmith House, at 1459 Trenton-Harbourton Road. This was the residence of the blacksmith serving the Harbourton village area and the site of the blacksmith shop from 1826 until after 1900, in addition to being the site of the third schoolhouse for the Harbourton neighborhood.
— The Marshall’s Corner Schoolhouse, at 95 Pennington-Hopewell Road (Route 654). This building represents the character and form of 19th-century schoolhouses in the township and is one of the few remaining in the township. It is part of the remaining fabric of a village named for storekeeper and state Assemblyman William Marshall. Historic Preservation Commission member David Blackwell said this was one of the 15 small schoolhouses in the township.
— The Runyon-Titus Barn, at 115 Route 31 North. It was first built about 1740 in a saltbox form no longer found in the region. It was modified by Andrew Titus Jr. prior to 1800 to suit the changing farming operations of the day.
—The Titusville Store, at 34 River Drive. Mr. Blackwell said the village of Titusville grew up around this structure, which was built in the late 18th century and housed Titusville’s first post office and store.
—The Enos Titus Farmstead, on Pennington-Rocky Hill Road.
IT IS THE OBJECTIVE of those working on the Enos Titus property “to create a look and feel that simulates the property’s past charm,” said Max Hayden, project architect and a member of the Historic Preservation Commission. “Lucash-Montgomery (Builders) is doing a serious restoration and saving this property for generations to come.”
”We feel that this property gives us all the attributes needed for a successful business. With a fully restored main house . . . this building will be brought back to its historical ‘hay day.’ Over time, it is our intention to renovate all the structures as they were. The buildings on this property are big enough for our company to operate without compromising their historical integrity,” a spokesman for Lucash-Montgomery said. Lucash-Montgomery plans to use the property for its business.

